THE SOLEMNITY OF THE BODY AND BLOOD OF CHRIST
(Genesis 14:18-20; I Corinthians 11:23-26; Luke 9:11-17)
The Second Vatican Council called the Eucharist the “source
and summit” of our faith. We have the feast of the Body and Blood of Christ to
contemplate why this is so. We will do our contemplation here by focusing on
the first reading with continued reference to the Letter to the Hebrews and
other biblical passages as resources.
The reading introduces Melchizedek, a figure who appears
both obscure and illuminating in the Bible. In the Old Testament, his name is
seen only in this passage and in Psalm 110. However, in the New Testament
Letter to the Hebrews, he is amply described as a model for understanding Jesus
Christ.
The reading calls Melchizedek “king of Salem.” Salem
or shalom is the Hebrew word for peace. As Melchizedek is “king of
peace,” Christ will be known as “prince of peace.” He will prove himself worthy
of the title when he reconciles Jews and pagans through his death on the cross.
As the Letter to the Ephesians says, he reconciled both peoples to God in one
Body through the cross, destroying the enmity in his person (cf. Ephesians
2:16).
The reading also says that Melchizedek is a priest. As such,
he offers God bread and wine on behalf of Abram. The Letter to the Hebrews also
emphasizes Christ's priestly role. Like Melchizedek, at the Last Supper Jesus will
present to God bread and wine on behalf of the whole world.
Jesus will convert the offerings into his Body and Blood. On
the next day, these same elements will be sacrificed to win the world
forgiveness of its sins. Insofar as he relieves those who believe in him from
sin, Jesus' offering will be a blessing of inestimable value.
The Letter to the Hebrews goes on to contrast the priests
and sacrifices of the Old Testament with Christ and his sacrifice on the cross.
In short, it says that the priests could not offer sacrifices as efficacious as
Christ's because they had sinned, while Christ never sinned. Their sacrifices
also pale in comparison to Christ's because they were only the blood of
animals, while Christ, the Son of God, offered his own blood. Furthermore, the
Old Testament sacrifices had to be repeated as long as people continued to sin.
But Christ's sacrifice was once and for all because it freed humanity from the
condition of sin.
We should now remember that we witness Jesus' supreme
sacrifice every time we attend Mass. Because Jesus is divine, his death on the
cross constituted an eternal act. That is, it took place once and for all in
time, but it continues occurring outside of time. Our participation in the Mass
brings us to the threshold of eternity. It is like a small window through which
we see the risen Christ glorifying God the Father with his death on the cross.
